 Lally was a fluent speaker of the Irish language, and his children study in Irish-speaking schools (gaelscoileanna).He appeared in several Irish language productions throughout his career, from "Poitín" in 1978, through to an appearance in the Irish language soap "Ros na Rún" in 2008.He was a supporter of socialist causes, and canvassed for Socialist Party candidate Joe Higgins in the 1996 Dublin West by-election and the 1997 general election.